by Tech. Sgt. Amanda Savannah380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

An A-10 Warthog pulls up behind a KC-10 Extender to be refueled Sept. 18, 2012. The KC-10 is an advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for U.S. armed forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Scott MacKay)Hi-res

Note: Pictured is A-10C 78-0693 from the 104th Fighter Squadron, 175th Wing (Maryland ANG), currently combat-deployed to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, as part of an A-10C ANG "Rainbow Team".

9/25/2012 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- It's 4:30 a.m., and the four Airmen have already had breakfast and a pre-flight briefing as they leave their squadron, grabbing water and more food before heading to their aircraft.

Music and friendly banter wafts within the cockpit as the crew performs pre-flight checks with their ground crew.

But before takeoff, the music and conversation stops as the four strap in and the pilot commands the KC-10 Extender off the flightline and barreling down the runway to begin their mission - refueling flying aircraft performing operations in Southwest Asia.

At the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, this job is the responsibility of the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron.

"The 908th's mission here is to provide maximum fuel to the fight so aircraft flying around supporting operations in (the U.S.) Central Command (area of operations) can stay aloft longer and meet all the taskings they need to support troops on the ground or other airborne assets in the area," said Lt. Col. David LeRoy, 908th EARS commander.

The squadron accomplishes its responsibilities with the KC-10, an advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for U.S. armed forces.

To perform its primary mission of aerial refueling, the KC-10 uses two types of delivery methods - a boom and a drogue. The boom is like a retractable metal pipe, which a boom operator maneuvers into a receiving aircraft's fuel receptacle. The drogue is a hose with a basket on the end, which receiving aircraft direct a probe into to receive fuel.

"The boom provides capability for Air Force aircraft; the drogue provides capability for both Navy and all the coalition fighters supporting the operation," said LeRoy, a San Bernardino, Calif., native deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif. "We offload the gas through those two different mechanisms ... just like pulling up to the gas pump."

In addition to the boom operator, each mission includes a pilot - also called the aircraft commander - co-pilot and flight engineer.

The crew members of this mission are deployed together from Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst, N.J. While deployed here, the four fly every mission together as one crew.

"There's hardly a waking moment I'm not with one of the three," said Staff Sgt. Sean Killian, flight engineer. "It's a blessing and a curse," he said, smiling.

Good-natured ribbing aside, being together is what Killian said he enjoys best about his job.

"We work together as a team for one goal," said Killian, a Lakewood, Colo., native. "It's the camaraderie that I like the best. We've got four guys who come out here in the span of eight weeks together, or 10 weeks ... you foster some really cool relationships."

Fostering their relationships also helps the crew communicate better, which they all agreed is vital to performing the mission.

Crew resource management, which means using available resources and each crew member's knowledge, is basically good communication in the flying world, said Senior Airman Christopher Foley, boom operator.

"CRM is a big thing, making sure you coordinate with each other, making sure everybody knows what everybody is doing, backing each other up," said Foley, a Princeton, N.J., native. "During (aerial refueling) I'm all the way in the back and (the other crew members) have no idea what I'm doing, so it's very important that I stay vocal, let them know what the receiver is doing, what I'm doing, who's going where."

Their flight out to the refueling point feels like a short road trip, which even includes traveling along a strip they call the "highway."

Once they arrived, the crew soon learned that most, if not all, of its receivers on the schedule were supporting troops in contact.

"I just dropped a few bombs and I've got to get back," one receiving pilot said, and the KC-10 team cheered.

LeRoy said he tells his Airmen he guarantees situations like this will happen.

"I guarantee that on at least one of their missions ... they give off gas to an aircraft that supports people on the ground by either dropping bombs or a show of force and it saves somebody's life on the ground," the commander said. "Then it makes everything worth it."

"I believe experiences mold a person a lot," said Veerathanongdech, a Fairfax, Calif., native. "The experiences that I get in this job, from being deployed, to traveling, to meeting all these people, is something that you will not get anywhere else."

Capt. Gabriel Miller, pilot, recalled one of his most memorable experiences.

"We were over (a country) and there was an Italian fighter pilot," said Miller, a Sparta, N.J., native. "Something happened with one of his internal gas tanks and he couldn't get to the gas.

"He was real low on gas, and due to the weather he couldn't find his tanker. He basically said, 'If I can't get gas and find a tanker in the next five minutes, I'm going to eject over the Mediterranean Sea'."

Miller said he could hear the nervousness and fear in the pilot's voice get worse as he found the tanker, which then suffered a problem.

"But the guys on the crew figured out a way to fix the problem, they gave (the pilot) the gas that he needed, and his mood changed drastically from five minutes prior to five minutes after he got the fuel," Miller said. "I've never heard someone so emotionally upset on the radio."

LeRoy said he's amazed at what his Airmen do every day.

"My Airmen are doing awesome," he said. "The flexibility, the ingenuity, the can-do attitude they have ... and they make it happen every day. They do the mission, they know what they're supposed to be doing and it just amazes me on a day to day basis."

LeRoy said he's also amazed by the aircraft maintainers, intelligence Airmen, squadron aviation resource managers and others for the jobs they do, most without any days off.

"I've been here for almost four months and the people in this squadron, they just don't complain," he said. "They just do the job and move on."

The commander also added none of them could do their mission without base support.

"The support we get on the base is phenomenal, from everybody from the mission support group, the maintenance group, the medical group -- they're all here to help and we appreciate that as well," he said. "We wouldn't be able to do the mission without them and we are cognizant of that."

On this mission, the crew offloaded more than 67,000 pounds of fuel to eight receivers. Killian put the fuel weight into perspective.

"That's about 10,000 gallons of fuel," he said. "If you had a vehicle with a 20-gallon tank and filled it once a week, it would take about nine years to go through that much gas." The crew accomplished this offload in less than five hours. The receivers refueled and the team's mission complete, they once again turned up the music and conversation, and began their "road trip" back to the wing.

Friday, September 28, 2012

On their Facebook page, Westover Air Reserve Base Public Affairs released five official photos.

More than a dozen A-10 Thunderbolt II's, assigned to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., passed through Westover as they made their way overseas. Westover's long runways, ample ramp space and geographic location, make it an ideal stop for military units on their way overseas. (U.S. Air Force photo by SrA. Kelly Galloway)Full size

Note: Pictured in this incredible photo are 18 A-10Cs. In the foreground from right: 210, 974, 147

Syracuse, NY -- A military aircraft declared an emergency in flight this afternoon before landing safely at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, the airport commissioner said.

The plane, an Air Force A-10 close-support fighter based out of Tucson, Ariz., was flying over Syracuse when the pilot discovered a problem with an engine, Airport Commissioner Christina Reale said. The pilot declared an emergency about 4:30 p.m., Reale said.

The airport's fire and aircraft rescue unit responded to the runway and the plane safely landed, Reale said.

The twin-engine aircraft, which has a nickname of Warthog, was towed to the New York Air National Guard base at the airport, where the plane will undergo an investigation to determine what went wrong with the plane, Reale said.

Aviation photographer Matt Ellis from the United States had the opportunity to take a lot of shots of A-10Cs from the 47th Fighter Squadron, 917th Fighter Group, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, on September 16, 2012. His phantastic gallery of 113 pictures provides top notch up to date photo proofs of 47th FS "Hogs" and their current artworks. Unfortunately, Matt does'nt provide any photo caption. And so, after my first related post on Facebook, I spent a lot of time to interprete his incredible shots.

Namest nad Oslavou - The aircraft that took part in NATO's Ramstein Rover 2012 air exercise are flying home from the air base in Namest nad Oslavou as it has ended, Czech exercise spokesman Zdenek Zeman told CTK today. In the past two weeks, the pilots made 445 training flights, during which they were more than 1,000 times guided to ground targets, Zeman said.

There were no injuries or damage during the training, he added.

The training flights ended on Thursday when the German Lear Jet aircraft landed as the last at 22.40.

Exercise commander Harry Schnell, from the NATO Air Force Command in Ramstein, Germany, said the whole drill had taken place without any accident, injury and material damage.

The biggest and most important exercise with foreign partners on Czech soil started on September 4.

Its main task was to harmonise tactical air force pilots and air controllers from advanced bases for the support for ground operations and to increase the skill of these specialists who are deployed in Afghanistan.

There were 600 Czech and 460 foreign troops and the aircraft from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Turkey and the USA.

Zeman said the aircraft had been in the air for the total of 900 hours.

The planes were guided to the targets in the Libava and Boletice training grounds.

The air controllers were from 13 countries and 24 teams joined the fulfilment of the tasks.

Along with the Vysocina region, the exercise took place also off the South Bohemia and a part of the Olomouc and Moravia-Silesia Regions.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

This image is of a mural painted by Staff Sgt. Michael Bursey, who is currently deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Bursey painted the mural at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Bursey is one of approximately 375 Airmen with the 188th Fighter Wing currently deployed to Bagram. Notice the figure depicted in the mural is toting a 30mm Gatling gun from the A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthog." (Courtesy photo)Full size

Released by 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs on YouTube September 5, 2012.

Description: Airmen with the 188th Fighter Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard perform the Arkansas Razorback "Hog call" from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The 188th, dubbed the Flying Razorbacks, currently has 375 Airmen deployed to Bagram in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Note: They pose in front of A-10C 78-0583 from the 184th Fighter Squadron. This video clip (run time 0:41) was taken at Bagram Airfield on September 2, 2012.
According to 188th Fighter Wing's Facebook page (September 15), this is the second of two videos in which Airmen with the 188th Fighter Wing currently deployed to Afghanistan are calling the Hogs from Bagram Airfield.

Friday, September 21, 2012

9/21/2012 - SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – Members of the 52nd Fighter Wing Honor Guard prepare to give a 21-gun salute during the Prisoner of War Missing in Action Ceremony at the air park here Sept. 21. The ceremony is held every year to remember those who have served and been taken prisoner or have been listed as MIA. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dillon Davis)Hi-res

9/20/2012 - Capt. B. J. Ginger refuels his A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthog" via a KC-135 Stratotanker over the skies of Afghanistan Aug. 9. Ginger is a pilot with the 188th Fighter Wing, which currently has approximately 375 Airmen deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Courtesy photo) Hi-res

9/20/2012 - Capt. B. J. Ginger refuels his A-10C Thunderbolt II "Warthog" via a KC-135 Stratotanker over the skies of Afghanistan Aug. 9. Ginger is a pilot with the 188th Fighter Wing, which currently has approximately 375 Airmen deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Courtesy photo)Hi-res

Rounds from an AC-130U Spooky gunship impact Pilsung Range during exercise Teak Knife 12-3, a joint training exercise that focuses on increased combat readiness with joint close-air-support training, Sept. 12, 2012, in the Republic of Korea. The AC-130U incorporates side-firing weapons integrated with sophisticated sensor, navigation and fire control systems to provide precision combat support day or night, as well as during adverse weather conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Raymond Mills) Hi-res

The exercise focused on integrating and advancing U.S. and RoK joint and combined special operations proficiency to conduct close-air-support missions.

"Exercise Teak Knife is a routine Combined Forces Command exercise," said Army Brig. Gen. Neil Tolley, commanding general, Special Operations Command, United States Forces Korea. "These exercises highlight the long-standing military partnership, interoperability and training readiness between the two nations, helping to ensure peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the Northeast Asia region."

For the first time in over a decade, two AC-130U Spooky gunships deployed to the Korean peninsula as part of the exercise, along with approximately 100 U.S. special operations and support personnel.

"We continuously exercise the full range of special operations mission sets with our partner allies to ensure we are fully prepared for any contingency," said Lt. Col. Benjamin, Teak Knife mission commander. "Teak Knife was part of a continuous exercise schedule designed to strengthen the combined interoperability and combat readiness of Republic of Korea and U.S. forces."

RoK Special Warfare Command Special Operations Teams from around the peninsula controlled air strikes from the AC-130s along with strikes from the 51st Fighter Wing's A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and F-16 Fighting Falcons.

Additionally, five personnel from the 51st Security Forces Squadron received fire support training to enhance combat readiness in support of the 51st Fighter Wing's mission to defend Osan AB.

"These are not your typical close-air-support missions," said Maj. William, Special Tactics commander. "The joint terminal control attack operations being conducted during this training were highly advanced and extremely beneficial to the RoK and U.S. alliance."

Please note: That's not really a "Warthog news". But I decided to post this news article on my blog because A-10Cs from the 25th Fighter Squadron were also involved in related air strikes. And: The posted picture of Pilsung Range (may be very rare) should be also very interesting for "Hog" enthusiasts. Unfortunately, there are no related A-10C photos available. BTW: I'm a big fan of U.S. Special Forces aviation units since the Vietnam War (including the legendary Douglas A-1 Skyraider in USAF service - predecessor of the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ("Warthog").

Thursday, September 20, 2012

On 17 and 18 September, German Air Force Lieutenant General Friedrich Wilhelm Ploeger, Deputy Commander of Allied Air Command Ramstein, Germany, visited Exercise Ramstein Rover 2012 or RARO12, the multinational live-fly exercise in the Czech Republic.

RARO12 trains and prepares Forward Air Controllers (FAC) for their deployment to NATO’s ISAF missions in Afghanistan. Another goal of RARO12 is to maintain this critical capability for future Allied operations.

After meeting with the Czech Defence Minister Dr. Alexandr Vondra and a group of Czech senators on Monday, General Ploeger discussed exercise-related issues with the Czech Air Chief, Brigadier General Jiri Verner on Tuesday.

After an introduction to the exercise scenario the general visited the international fighters and helicopters involved in the training and saw FAC teams executing their control runs of aircraft near the Namest Air Base and at Libava range.

During a short press point with local and regional media General Ploeger stated "NATO is extremely grateful to the Czech Republic, the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic and the Czech Air Force for hosting exercise Ramstein Rover 2012, which is the largest NATO air exercise in this year. Namest Air Base provides an excellent venue for three reasons: First, being in the heart of Europe, if you will, it reduces transportation costs for the nations to come here. Second, it is perfectly situated between two military training areas with ranges for us to conduct training. Third, the airbase has excellent facilities available."

Exercise Ramstein Rover 2012 will wrap up this Thursday and both FAC teams and aircraft detachment are scheduled to redeploy to their home bases on Friday.

For more pictures see the gallery "Visitors at Ramstein Rover" under the pictures tab.

I'm now in personal contact with Petr Silhavy (aka Pirony) from the Czech Republic who had the opportunity to take a lot of A-10C shots during RARO 12 at Namest Air Base. Here are some pictures, selected from his newest Flickr album Ramstein Rover 2012 II. All of them were taken on September 18, 2012.

LIBAVA, Czech Republic -- An A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot from the 81st Fighter Squadron shoots training rounds Sept. 14 during a close air support mission as part of Ramstein Rover 2012 at a training range here. RARO 12 is a NATO exercise focused on preparing forward air controllers for contingency operations. Sixteen NATO member nations are participating in the exercise to establish and build upon common techniques, tactics and practices. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Natasha Stannard)Hi-res

RARO 12 is a NATO exercise focused on preparing forward air controllers to support ground commanders in Afghanistan within the next year.

Multiple nations are participating to include the United States, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Turkey, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Norway, the Netherlands, Latvia, Italy, Greece, Germany, France, Estonia and Belgium in an effort to improve and build common tactics, techniques and practices.

Throughout the week, the 81st Fighter Squadron from Spangdahlem Air Base participated provide close air support to forward air controllers, with whom the squadron's pilots are likely to deploy.

"Seeing how all these nations operate and helping them develop to be better JTACs (joint terminal attack controllers) all while they make us better pilots for close air support has prepared us to go downrange together," said Capt. Patrick Shanahan, 81st FS A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot.

FACs worked directly with pilots to establish threats and targets to attack on the ground while mitigating risks to what would be civilians and their property.

"The scenarios were very well scripted, which was great for everyone," said Lt. Col. Clinton Eichelberger, 81st FS commander. "I'm sure it's great for the JTACs who are learning things, and it's great for the flyers, because they're able to see the extremes of guys who are brand new and those who are experienced with FAC. For the training aspect, it's unbelievable, because we go to an area that's not too far from the base and integrate with helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and different countries."

Close air support, which is the A-10's primary mission, also played an important role in forward air control training by giving ground commanders more support in defeating enemy targets by providing more firepower and a greater view of the area, much like they would in a contingency operation.

"I've learned a lot from the experience to work with other nations ... the main thing I've learned is that we have to be 100 percent sure of what we expect from one another," said Czech Republic army Lt. Jan Holicek, ground forces tank platoon leader. "It's important we cooperate."

With the first week of training complete, pilots of the 81st are ready to accomplish more goals and build more common practices with their NATO counterparts.

"From the first day, what we wanted to accomplish was to improve the ability of the JTACs to call in air and support the ground commander, and just by being able to talk to them day after day, you notice that they grab a hold of the debrief points you hand them," said Eichelberger. "The next day they execute their tasks that much better."

RARO 12 continues until Sept. 22, during which nations will keep building common practices to use in support of combatant commanders.

LIBAVA, Czech Republic -- Training rounds from A-10 Thunderbolt II hit the ground Sept. 14 during Ramstein Rover 2012 at a training range here. RARO 12 is a NATO exercise focused on preparing forward air controllers for contingency operations. Sixteen NATO member nations are participating in the exercise to establish and build upon common techniques, tactics and practices. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Natasha Stannard)Hi-res

NAMEST AIR BASE, Czech Republic -- A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots from the 81st Fighter Squadron check their aircraft systems before flight Sept. 14 during Ramstein Rover 2012 here. RARO 12 is a NATO exercise focused on preparing forward air controllers for contingency operations. Sixteen NATO member nations are participating in the exercise to establish and build upon common techniques, tactics and practices. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Natasha Stannard)Hi-res

NAMEST AIR BASE, Czech Republic -- Members of the 81st Aircraft Maintenance Unit discuss repairs for an A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 81st Fighter Squadron Sept. 14 during Ramstein Rover 2012 here. RARO 12 is a NATO exercise focused on preparing forward air controllers for contingency operations. Sixteen NATO member nations are participating in the exercise to establish and build upon common techniques, tactics and practices. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Natasha Stannard)Hi-res

Please note: At least for me, these pictures of A-10C 82-0650 are the remaining photo proof to identify all eight participating "Hogs" (A-10C 81-0962 was already identified by an additional official USAF photo).

Dedicated in Love

This blog is dedicated to Marina Naumann, my latest female partner who died after incurable pancreas cancer on June 17, 2010, just only a half year after diagnosis. Marina was the second true wife in my life, and she always supported my long-year enthusiastic research work on the Hog, especially since the beginning of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Rest in peace, Marina.